State of Maine Land Use Regulation Commission In
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STATE OF MAINE LAND USE REGULATION COMMISSION IN THE MATTER OF DEVELOPMENT ) Pre-Filed Direct Testimony of APPLICATION DP 4886 ) Matt Kearns, David Fowler BLUE SKY EAST, LLC ) and Geoff West on behalf of BULL HILL WIND PROJECT ) Blue Sky East, LLC On behalf of applicant Blue Sky East, LLC (“Blue Sky East”), Matt Kearns, David Fowler and Geoff West are submitting this pre-filed direct testimony in support of DP 4886 (the “Bull Hill Wind Project” or “Bull Hill”). I. QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND A. Matt Kearns I started my career at First Wind Holding, LLC (“First Wind”) in 2006 and I held the title of Director of Development as project developer for the Stetson Wind project before moving to my current role as Vice President of Business Development, Northeast. As Vice President of Business Development, I am responsible for the Northeast development team as they bring projects – including Bull Hill - from concept and due diligence through permitting and into construction and operations. To date, I have overseen the successful development and permitting of wind projects totalling 249 MW in Maine, Vermont and New York. I am a graduate of Colby College and have eighteen years of experience in environmental and energy project permitting and development. My resume is attached as Exhibit A. B. David Fowler I hold the title of Development Manager, New England for First Wind and have served in that position since 2008. As lead developer for the Bull Hill Wind Project, I am responsible for all aspects of project development, including initial site identification, site acquisition and permitting. In addition to being lead developer for the Bull Hill Wind Project, I am also the co- developer of First Wind’s Oakfield Wind Project in Oakfield, Maine. I am a graduate of the University of Maine; my resume is attached as Exhibit B. C. Geoff West I am the Environmental Permitting and Compliance Manager for First Wind and have served in that position since 2008. I manage the permitting for the Bull Hill Wind Project as well as for other Maine First Wind projects and oversee all environmental permit compliance activities during the construction stage of projects including coordination with the third party environmental inspector and construction contractors. More specifically, I ensure that all permit obligations, such as construction near or in wetlands and vernal pools, construction stormwater plans and seasonal restrictions related to avian activities are adhered to during construction. I have a B.S. in Biology from the University of the South and a M.S. in Environmental Engineering Sciences from the University of Florida. My resume is attached as Exhibit C. II. FIRST WIND OVERVIEW AND RELATIONSHIP TO BLUE SKY EAST A. First Wind’s National Experience and Relationship to Blue Sky East First Wind (www.firstwind.com; formerly UPC Wind Partners, LLC) is an independent North American wind energy company focused exclusively on the development, ownership and operation of wind energy projects. First Wind currently operates eight wind energy projects across the country, with a total generating capacity of 534 MW. In addition, First Wind has two projects under construction, including the Rollins Wind Project in Penobscot County, Maine. Project applicant Blue Sky East, developer of the Bull Hill Wind Project, is an indirect, wholly- owned subsidiary of First Wind. 2 B. First Wind’s Track Record Building Wind Power Projects in Maine First Wind has extensive experience in developing, constructing and operating wind energy projects in Maine, and has constructed, or is in the process of constructing, five grid-scale wind energy projects in the state. First Wind developed, owns and operates the Mars Hill project in Mars Hill and Stetson Wind I and II in Washington County. Operational since March 2007, Mars Hill consists of 28 turbines with an installed capacity of 42 MW and represents Maine’s first utility-scale operating wind energy project. Stetson Wind I consists of 38 turbines with an installed capacity of 57 MW and became fully operational in January 2009. Stetson Wind II consists of 17 turbines with an installed capacity of 25.5 MW and became fully operational in March 2010. In the aggregate, the Mars Hill and combined Stetson Wind projects generate approximately 377,000 MW/hours per year. First Wind’s Rollins Wind Project in Penobscot County is under construction and will become operational in the summer of 2011, thus adding 60 MW to First Wind’s operation portfolio in Maine. First Wind has also successfully permitted the Oakfield Wind Project in Oakfield, Maine. In addition to the Bull Hill Wind Project, First Wind is currently seeking Commission approval for the Bowers Wind Power Project. C. First Wind’s Financial Capacity First Wind currently has assets in excess of $1.5 billion. Since 2004, First Wind has raised over $4.5 billion, and since the beginning of 2009, First Wind has refinanced, raised, or received approximately $2.8 billion in more than 20 refinancing and new capital-raising activities and customer prepayments. In 2010, First Wind executed over $1.5 billion in financing and repaid $230 million in short-term turbine supply loans. Financings include $98 million for the Rollins Wind project in Penobscot County, Maine; $76 million for the Sheffield Wind project 3 in Vermont; $247 million for the 68-turbine expansion of First Wind’s Milford Wind project in Utah; and $28 million for the Steel Winds facility in New York. D. First Wind’s Technical Ability The assembled Project team has a wealth of experience in project design and wind project development. First Wind’s extensive team of employees has broad experience in all aspects of wind project development and operation, including generator lead line development, meteorology, engineering, permitting, construction, finance, law, asset management, maintenance, and operations. As noted above, First Wind has successfully permitted five projects in Maine before the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Land Use Regulation Commission: Mars Hill, Stetson Wind I, Stetson Wind II, Rollins and Oakfield. In addition to the First Wind team members, the project team for Bull Hill consists of James W. Sewall Company and RLC Engineering (engineering and electrical design); Stantec Consulting (environmental and permitting); Terrence J. DeWan and Associates (visual); Bodwell EnviroAccoustics (sound); Albert Frick and Associates (soils); TRC, Independent Archeological Consulting and Public Archeology Lab (cultural resources); and Verrill Dana (legal counsel). Each consultant was chosen for their extensive experience in development design and siting of wind energy projects and other projects in Maine. First Wind’s solid track record constructing these projects reflects the company’s determination to minimize impacts and comply with all terms and conditions of its regulatory approvals. Working with its engineering teams, and often in consultation with Dave Rocque, the State’s Soil Scientist, and LURC representatives, First Wind has constructed three grid-scale projects in Maine and has consistently worked to fine tune its construction techniques to avoid erosion and minimize stormwater impacts. 4 III. SITE SELECTION OF THE BULL HILL WIND PROJECT A. Project Design The Bull Hill Wind Project (“Project”) is a 19 turbine wind power project proposed by Blue Sky for the Bull Hill and Heifer Hill ridges in T16 MD, Hancock County. The proposed turbines are Vestas V100 machines with a 1.8-megawatt (“MW”) rated power. The turbines will be on 95-meter towers and will have 100-meter rotor diameters. The total height with blades fully extended will be approximately 145 meters (476 feet). The Project will also include up to three 95-meter lattice type permanent meteorological (“met”) towers. Full details of the Project are listed in Section 1.0 of the Application, and a visual overview of the Project footprint is attached hereto at Exhibit D. The power from each turbine will be collected in approximately 8.2 miles of underground 34.5 kilovolt (“kV”) collection lines and will flow to a new substation and operations and maintenance (“O&M”) building located centrally within the Project area. The substation will step the power up to 115 kV and transmit it directly to existing Line 66 on the Bangor Hydro Electric Company (“BHE”) transmission system. By locating the substation directly adjacent to Line 66, no new 115 kV generator lead will be necessary for the Project. For access to the Project existing roads will be utilized to the extent possible. The Project requires only 4.8 miles of new road, and only minor widening and grading modifications will be required for the existing gravel logging road. A more detailed discussion of the road design and impacts can be found in Section 5.0 of the Application. B. Site Selection Factors Development of a viable wind energy project depends on fundamental factors such as the characteristics of the wind resource, access to transmission, and landowner interest. In selecting 5 sites for wind energy development, First Wind also actively seeks to identify locations where impacts to human and ecological resources can be completely avoided or minimized as much as possible. Additionally, attached as Exhibit E is a Table of Key Facts for the Project. The Bull Hill Wind Project site provides an ideal location for development of a wind energy Project. First, the Project will be the lowest elevation wind site proposed in Maine to date. It will be built on two low ridgelines, Bull Hill and Heifer Hill, with elevations between 450 and 624 feet. As a result, construction of the roads connecting turbines will not require substantial cut and fill. Second, although low in elevation, the average wind speed generated is 7.2 meters per second, which is a Class II/III resource. Third, the Project is located adjacent to the existing Bangor Hydro Electric 115 kV transmission line and, as a result, a generator lead typically associated with wind power projects is not required here.